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Note from Susan:

The following information on the early families, prior to their arrival in Mississippi is what I have in my FTM, contributed by various researchers, as well as from the internet, from searching census records, and other records I have available to me. The names of the children prior to the 1850 census all come from other researchers, I will make an effort to prove their existence, and a few generations of their ancestors. I will provide as much documentation as I can, and e-mail addresses for contributors so that you might contact them for their sources whenever possible.

Most researchers agree that JOHN BERRY was the progenitor of this clan of Berry's.   He was born c1740, and died 1810.    His wife’s name is not known.

In checking the internet, I note that several people have listed James Isaac and Ann Berry as progenators of this clan. I do not have documentation to prove either, but following I will try to prove lineages of most of the children said to be those of John or James Berry.

Prologue by Ann Berry McNair:

The Berry family came to America in the 1600's, and settled in Virginia. Some of them settled at Whitehall, Virginia; were prominent citizens there, and established the first Episcopal Church there. John Berry lived in or near Richmond, Virginia.

The three brothers were married and lived in South Carolina before they migrated to Mississippi. German Berry married Susanah Bailes. John married a Miss Polk (not sure of her name) of Greenville, South Carolina. David Berry married Rebecca Vines who lived near Camden, Kershaw Co South Carolina. The three brothers and their families were living in Salem District, Oconee Co South Carolina, when they moved to Mississippi. It is not known when they moved, but they were in South Carolina as late as 1810, and were in Mississippi in 1819 when Charity Berry, daughter of German and Susanah Bailes Berry, married on July 29, 1819 in Wayne Co Mississippi to Willis Walker.

In route to Mississippi, David Berry, and perhaps his two brothers, lived for about one year in Erie, Green Co Alabama, at that time a thriving river port town on the Black Warrior River (Eutaw is the county seat). Now Erie is in ruins, only a few chimneys and walls remain of the once prosperous town. David Berry farmed here for about one year.

German Berry died in Simpson Co Mississippi on April 25, 1834. John Berry, his brother, died in Simpson Co Mississippi about 1834-35. David Berry, the other brother, lived in Simpson Co for several years, but moved to Rankin Co Mississippi about 1832, and died in 1833. He is buried in the Berry-Sutton burial ground, near Florence, Rankin Co Mississippi. His wife, Rebecca Vines Berry died in 1859 and is buried in the same cemetery in Rankin Co Mississippi.

The three sons and a daughter of John Berry made an impact on Simpson Co Mississippi.

R.A. Duke and Anna Everling note: John Berry Sr. lived in Anson Co North Carolina and then, Chesterfield Co South Carolina. At that time, Chesterfield Co South Carolina was in Anson Co North Carolina before the state line was drawn. Therefore, our distant kin probably never moved off his farm; the lines just change around him.

Census Images from 1810 Chesterfield Co Census Records        

However, to confuse the issue, we have the following Berry's fitting the names of the children of John Berry in the correct time frame. The ones with links lead to the images of the documents

John Berry in Amite Co Mississippi (along with Isaac Polk) in 1810
Our Berry family was closely related to the Polks, John's wife, Edith was said to be a sister of Isaac. Isaac's son, Simon Polk, married a daughter of John and Edith, Centilla Berry. There were many Berry families throughout the years living in Amite Co, I am sure there is a relationship to our Berrys, but to date, nobody has uncovered that relationship to my knowledge.

John Berry in Marion Co Mississippi for the year 1820, enumerated 15 January 1821
I have questions about this census, it does not include any female daughters, and all of the researchers of this family seem to agree that Centilla Berry is indeed his daughter; in 1820 she would have only been about six years old.

        

        

        

Several researchers list Alice and Blanche Berry as children of John Berry, but I believe they are confusing them with daughters of Jemima Berry and John Shivers.    Jemima Berry and John Shivers daughter, Blanche married Isaac Fortenberry, son of Jacob Fortenberry and his wife, Celia Berry.   Fortenberry researchers claim that Celia, born c1774, and married 1789 Lancaster, South Carolina was a fifth sibling to come to Mississippi with German, John, David, and Jemima.    A page has been attributed to the lineage of Celia Berry and Jacob Fortenberry, I feel sure she is related, if not a daughter of John, then perhaps a niece.

See also, from other researchers, Berry families that we have not yet been able to connect to ours, though they are found in the same areas, and we feel sure a connection exists.

William Burton Carter and Elizabeth Berry - Marion, Covington, and Copiah Co Mississippi to Texas

Census records found for Berry's whom we have not yet make a connection

Mirium Berry, a white female, aged 80 years, enumerated in the household of Albert Gallatin Berry and Lucy L. Mullins Berry, (need link) in 1870, making her birth at c1790. Considering that Berry is most probably her married name, makes me wonder who her spouse might have been.

We might also consider:

Rozier Dedwylder has provided some very good information I would like to pass along also, he has apparently done some extensive research on the Berry family ... and has worked with several other folks who also have.

He points out that in the 1820 Covington Co Mississippi census image, David Berry is living next door to William and Isaac Hennington/ Henington, which brought to his mind the following:

John Henington / Hennington who was born before 1793 Orangeburg Dist South Carolina, and died December 23, 1843 Crystal Springs, Copiah Co Mississippi, married Margaret 'Mollie' BERRY and by her had: Abraham R., 1815 South Carolina; Ann Catherine, 1818 South Carolina; Margaret L., 1820 Mississippi; John W., 1822 Mississippi; Henry Isaac 1825 Mississippi; Mary Seira "Nancy", 1827 Mississippi; Rachel Lovey, 1828 Mississippi; Joshua Stephen, 1832 Mississippi; and Caroline R., 1834 Mississippi. BUT who could Mollie be?

My thoughts are that she may be yet another daughter of John Berry, but then again, John undoubtedly had siblings, and thus she may have been a child of one of his brothers. Again, she may be from an entire different group of Berry's. There were so many Berry's in so many area's of North and South Carolina who migrated to all areas of Alabama and Mississippi, that it would be impossible to unravel them all.    Apparently several also went to Louisiana.

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Next:  John Berry and Edith Polk